New pressure on Manchester City
Man City v Man United, Saturday, 1.30pm
When you take the lead, something changes in the atmosphere. After Chelsea drew with Arsenal last weekend, Man City went from being chasers to being chased.
With the pressure already on the rise, we now find out just how serious their title credentials are as they head into the finals against a realistic rival to win the league, a cross-town rival, and a team with the second-best defense in the division.
However, Man City’s forwards have found the net 15 times in total this season, at least six more than any other team’s attacker.
Andriy Jegratz’s style is more results-oriented, rather than the clean football that has traditionally been City’s advantage. City still play a possession-based style, but are less focused on making the opposition forget.
This season is worse than last season by every standard. Average possession, sequence time in open play, and passing frequency all decreased. Still, City are more fluid, comfortable winning the ball in deep areas and attacking with pace.
“We will miss passes, but we will drive the ball back,” Jegratz told his team at half-time last week when they were trailing behind Everton. They won 2-1 with goals from Viv Miedema and Bunny Shaw. A pair as expected. City’s front line has been firing and continues to do so, but they are a formidable prospect.
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WSL Everton vs Man City highlights
However, Mark Skinner’s side have taken points from Chelsea and Arsenal this season. If they can get through this latest test, the feeling will really start to build that this could be the year the WSL trophy leaves west London.
Fresh off the heels of last weekend’s embarrassing home defeat to Aston Villa, Skinner could have sat out a game he should have never lost. It’s not insurmountable, but it’s not far off.
A morale-boosting win against PSG in midweek had set the team on track to prepare, but this time it’s a completely different story.
History beckons to Chelsea
Liverpool vs Chelsea, Sunday, 12pm, live on Sky Sports Premier League
Chelsea stands on the precipice of history. A win or a draw this weekend would set a new WSL record for unbeaten games at 34 games and extend the league’s unbeaten record of 33 games.
Sonia Bompastre told Sky Sports last week that although this run was not even on her radar, it would still be an incredible feat. Chelsea are a winning machine, but they have one more game to get through first.
In addition, captain Millie Bright could break the WSL appearances record with her 211th league game. The word ‘legend’ gets thrown around a lot, and it definitely applies to the Blues captain. She continues to perform consistently at Chelsea.
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Highlights of the WSL match between Liverpool and Brighton. A late equalizer denied the home team its first league win.
Liverpool will look to gain momentum after picking up their first WSL point last weekend. Gareth Taylor is also a thorn in Chelsea’s side. He has been in charge of two of the last four league defeats and was also in charge the last time the Blues failed to score in a WSL match.
Of course, this was at Man City, but Taylor has the know-how to beat Chelsea – not many people do. Whether the players can execute that plan is another story, as the Blues look unstoppable.
Sunday, November 16th 11am
Kickoff at 12pm
Spurs look good, but Ho has yet to prove he can mix with the best teams
Tottenham vs Arsenal, Sunday, 2.30pm, live on Sky Sports Premier League
It is unusual for Arsenal to go into the North London derby level on points with Tottenham. Sunday’s hosts have had a dismal record against their rivals, winning just one of their 11 games. The Gunners won this match 3-0 last season.
But times are changing. Spurs’ spark has been rekindled by new manager Martin Ho and his all-action style of football. They have won three of their four games on home soil, and have actually recorded more wins (five) than Arsenal have achieved this season, leaving them just five points behind last season’s total. Things are looking up.
Spurs play fast and direct. In many ways this is in contrast to Arsenal’s approach, which is far more methodical and complex. Both will work as long as the shoe fits, but it’s this clash of styles that makes this meeting so interesting at this special time.
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Highlights of the WSL match between Arsenal and Chelsea, in which the home team’s victory was ruled out due to a controversial offside decision.
75% of Spurs’ total goals conceded in the WSL this season have come in just two games. They sent five alone to Manchester City. And this is the crux. Coach Ho’s team won all five games against teams in the bottom half of the standings, but lost all three games against teams in the top half.
It’s a surprising comparison, and one that poses Ho’s biggest challenge if he wants to turn what was previously a middling team into a much better one.
Sunday, November 16th 2:15pm
2:30pm kickoff
Back to daily business at Aston Villa
Aston Villa vs London City Lionesses, Sunday, 12pm, live on Sky Sports Mix
It’s a return to home for Aston Villa after their deserved but shocking win against Man United last weekend, but this game will be against one of their surrounding teams at London City, which will further determine which end of the midfield they end up at.
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Women’s Super League match highlights between Manchester United and Aston Villa
A win would move them above their opponents into sixth place, and with a game remaining against Tottenham in fifth place, they would be in a strong position to mount an attack to dethrone Spurs.
However, they could be drawn more easily than Sunday’s opponents, who had a perfect record against opponents outside of the top four last season.
Jocelyn Precheur’s side have the second weakest defense in the division, and when they play a team that scores the fourth-lowest points, who fixes it better will have a big impact on who wins.
Sunday, November 16th 11am
Kickoff at 12pm
Leicester want to end disastrous away defeat
Brighton v Leicester, Sunday, 12pm, live on Sky Sports+
Despite pre-season turmoil, Leicester have found some stability under manager Rick Passmore. The next area for improvement is our away form.
The Foxes are winless in their last 20 WSL road games (D7 L13) and this weekend could see them record the longest winless away run in the competition’s history. They are currently level with Yeovil Town.
And Brighton are strong at home. The Seagulls have lost just one of their last five WSL games in their own patch (W3 D1), but that defeat came in their most recent 3-2 loss to Man United.
The match will be played at the Amex Stadium, with Brighton looking to boost their season, which has not reached the heights they have in recent years.
Will West Ham be able to follow up on their lead?
West Ham v Everton, Sunday, 12pm, live on Sky Sports+
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Highlights of WSL West Ham vs. Leicester
In the eighth game of the WSL season, West Ham finally recorded their first point of the season against Leicester. They also boosted their confidence by defeating Southampton 5-0 in the League Cup in midweek.
The home game against Everton could also be a great opportunity to pick up more points. The Hammers were strong at Victoria Road last year, winning three of their last four WSL home games against Everton (L1) and keeping clean sheets in four of their last five.
The Toffees themselves are in need of points, without a win since the start of the season at Liverpool, and are not out of reach of the relegation zone. It will be interesting to see who can seize the advantage.
